The grace of God

The God of Grace
We are the five o’clock workers!

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matt 20:1-16

i believe we are the five o’clock workers, given the times we live in, i believe it is the 5 o’clock hour.
This parable shows the mercy and grace of the Lord to me more than any other. I am the five o’clock worker at his worst, because i was not there at 6am like a lot of others (spiritually speaking) i came when all the others were picked,already out working, i came when, “i wanted to come” at 5.pm. cause i didn’t want it. i didn’t need it, but most of all. I didn’t deserve it.
Max Lucado writes this about the parable, “five in the afternoon. tell me. what is a worker still doing in the yard at 5:00 in the afternoon? the best have long since gone. the mediocre workers went at lunch. The last string went at 3:00. What kind of worker is left at 5pm?
All day they get passed by. they were unskilled. Untrained. Uneducated. They are handing with one hand from the bottom of the ladder. They are absolutely dependant upon the merciful boss giving them a chance they don’t deserve.” ( The Final Week of Jesus)
But that was me, and He came back at the end of the day for me. Everyone else was gone. i was the only one standing there.
Broken,rejected,depressed,alone. Yet He came, for ME.
He offered me everything that He offered the guys that went at 6am. I got the same deal. With all the benefits.
He offered me life ! His mercy and grace overlooked my tardiness.
His mercy can never be matched.
So what time are you going to show up?
The time has come. He is making you the offer,all you need to do is accept it. It will not be 5:00 much longer!
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32
Have a blessed day